It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and the Idea Specialists™ at The Retreat at Mountain Brook—a premier luxury apartment community in Birmingham, Alabama—are feelin’ the love!
Whether you’re planning on celebrating solo, stepping out with your sweetheart, or picking out just the right gift for your pet, they’re here to help with links and tips, dates and times.
The Languages Of Love
One thing to keep in mind when planning on how to mark this February 14th romantic holiday is what “language” the person you care about speaks when it comes to the way want to be shown love. Pastor and counselor Gary Chapman first created this concept and wrote about it in The 5 Love Languages, which goes into details. The languages are:
No. 1: Words of affirmation
No. 2: Acts of service
No. 3: Gifts
No. 4: Quality time
No: 5: Physical touch
The Retreat at Mountain Brook Idea Specialists™ found a great about love languages here: IDEAS.TED.COM
Best Picks For Him & Her
Maybe you’re already fluent in your partner’s language and know that they like the combo of presents with your presence. USA Today has compiled a 2023 Gift Guide with best picks for him and her and options running the gamut from wildly fun bath bombs to personalized boxer shorts.
Puppy Love
The Retreat at Mountain Brook is extremely pet-friendly, so of course the Idea Specialists™ were delighted with this fun find at 1800-Flowers for your Fido—a squeaky plush toy bottle of “champawgne” and accompanying flute. 
They were also pleased to be reminded about CahaBones, a Birmingham-based small business that started in April 2013 from a love of dogs, local breweries, and the Cahaba River. They offer free delivery of their all-natural gourmet dog treats in the Greater Birmingham area—what’s not to love about that?
Looking for something a little more practical? Roost knows what works in gourmet apartment kitchens, and shares the skinny in 9 Space-Saving Kitchen Gadgets For Every Apartment. Why not go ahead and get yourself a Valentine’s Day gift, too? The Idea Specialists™ swear by the Instant Pot Duo Mini 7-in-1.
An Evening Out
If you want to enjoy an evening out, Alabama’s Magic City offers options!
Publix Aprons® Cooking School on Tattersall Park is giving you two chances to participate in their Valentine’s Day Wine and Dine experience; Monday and Tuesday February 13 and February 14, 2023, both from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The demonstration class menu will include chorizo-stuffed calamari tubes, pan-roasted Porterhouse, chocolate ancho pot de crème, and, of course, wines to sample.
You can get together with your girlfriends for Galentine’s Day at Moon Shine, Birmingham’s hottest rooftop bar, at the sumptuous Elyton Hotel. Raise a glass to friendship and good times with one of their stylish custom cocktails, or take advantage of specials on craft brews and bubbly from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. February 14.
For upscale restaurant ambiance, look no farther than Galley and Garden on Highland Avenue, celebrated as the “Most Romantic Restaurant in Alabama.” This Valentine’s Day its special four-course holiday menu, $95 per person, features such delicacies as lobster risotto, cornmeal crusted Gulf oysters, and Bouef Bourguignon. The Idea Specialists™ can’t wait to have the amaretto whipped cream for dessert—they might even indulge in a Cupid’s Magic signature cocktail at the same time!
💕💕 Love For Your Library 💕💕
Did you know that February 14 is also Library Lovers’ Day? It makes sense—it’s quite easy to fall in love with a book! And modern libraries of course offer everything from research assistance to online entertainment options like Hoopla and Kanopy, as well as laptops and hotspots you can check out. Mountain Brook offers residents all of this and more at the O’Neal Library, which is part of the Jefferson County Library Cooperative.
